by The Lovely Refinement Team | Apr 13, 2019 | Dealing With Emotions, Happiness Tips, Self-Confidence, Self-Esteem & Self-Love, Self-Improvement
If you enjoy finding new ways to relax your mind and calm down after a long day, this post is for you!
Yoga is a great exercise for anyone who struggles with anxiety & stress. It helps you develop a stronger mind/body connection and it also gets you to a calm mind quickly.
7 Yoga Exercises to Relieve Anxiety & Stress Instantly
I love adding these videos to my daily routine, especially at night when I’m winding down. I feel so much more relaxed and comfortable with myself after doing yoga.
And what’s nice is you don’t have to spend a ton of time doing this, you can even do it for as little as 7 minutes.
Yoga helps you stretch out your tense muscles and quiets your racing mind. Give one of the videos a try if you’re feeling really anxious!
Yoga For Stress & Anxiety by Yoga With Adriene:
Yoga With Adriene is one of my favorite Yoga YouTube channels. She is very good at guiding you through yoga exercises and provides a strong sense of calm.
She even motivates me to want to keep practicing yoga and has different alternatives based on your experience level! Here are some of her best videos on yoga for anxiety and stress:
1. Yoga for Anxiety & Stress
2. Yoga for Anxiety – 20 Minutes Practice
3. Yoga for Neck & Shoulder Relief
Yoga for Stress & Anxiety Relief by Sarah Beth Yoga
I really like Sarah Beth Yoga as well because she has simple videos that provide really relaxing music in the background. I recommend watching these videos at night time as you start to unwind to help you fall asleep better.
4. 15 Minutes CALMING YOGA for Stress Relief & Anxiety
5. Yoga for Stress & Anxiety
6. Yoga for Anxiety & Stress (15-Minute Yoga)
7. Yoga to Control Your Anxiety
by The Lovely Refinement Team | Apr 13, 2019 | Dealing With Emotions, Happiness Tips, Self-Confidence, Self-Esteem & Self-Love, Self-Improvement
Do you struggle with mental health? What if you had a specific go-to tool kit that you could use whenever you have a bad mental health day?
I personally love to use a mental health crisis kit because I struggle with anxiety & depression. They both come out of nowhere a lot of the times. I get a tightness in my chest from anxiety and feel uncomfortable just going to Home Depot. When nothing is wrong, and sometimes it really bugs me.
But, I learned what works best through a lot of research. And some of these things in this list are personal preferences, but a lot of them are generally what works for everyone.
How to Create a Mental Health Crisis ToolKit
Pick out the things you like and make sure to add them to your own mental health crisis kit! Be sure to leave in the comments what other things you like to add to help your mental health.
It’s so helpful to create your own mental health toolkit so you can better understand what’s really going on. And to help calm you down.
A lot of the times we try to ignore how we feel in order to get through the day. But, instead, you can actually focus on allowing yourself to feel better!
Some days you will have to take it easy and listen to what your brain is telling you. If you’re burning out, stressed, anxious, or depressed these things can be so tiring on your brain and body.
You have to listen to your body and pay attention to the cues. If that means it’s a mental health day, then use these items and put them in your toolkit.
So you can quickly overcome these awful feelings. Once you give in, take a break, and allow yourself to heal, you will feel better. Stop fighting the process, just focus on healing yourself, and don’t worry about how long this takes!
1. Essential Oils
Certain essential oils can help relieve anxiety symptoms. Lavender, Spearmint, and Rose are my personal favorites to use.
Here are some other great essential oils to try to calm your mind:
- Vetiver oil
- Orange
- Peppermint
- Chamomile
- Jasmine
- Eucalyptus
- Lemongrass
I love to use this LagunaMoon set that has 6 essential oils. The Lagunamoon Essential Oils Top 6 Pure Essential Oils Kit can be used for:
Diffuser, Humidifier, Massage, Aromatherapy, Skin & Hair Care
.
2. Mental Health Journal
Writing out what’s going on in your mind is a great form of therapy. That’s why I have multiple journals in different areas that I’m often in, like my nightstand, office desk, and even in my purse.
3. Self-Help Books
Books are great because they help you connect to someone else and make you feel less alone.
4. Yoga Exercises
Yoga can help center you and quiet your mind. And the beauty of yoga is you don’t even have to leave your house.
There are so many YouTube videos that guide you through an effective yoga practice, try this one below the next time you want to relax:
5. Grounding Techniques
Grounding techniques quickly help you come down from a panic attack, or even boost your mood if you’re depressed.
And once you learn a few of the basic ways to ground yourself you can do it anywhere.
It’s a helpful tool to have in your mental health crisis toolkit.
6. Meditation Exercises
I have another blog post entirely on meditation exercises, but here’s a helpful video to get you started. I like meditating when I’m in the mood for it.
I think it’s hard to meditate when you really don’t want to. And the yoga video or grounding techniques from above are another way to be mindful without practicing meditation.
But, here’s a great video that takes you through a meditation exercise:
7. EFT Tapping Sheet
EFT stands for Emotional Freedom Techniques and it works by tapping certain pressure points around your body while speaking affirmations.
I really like doing EFT tapping because I immediately feel a sense of relief and calmness afterward. It’s a different form of meditating and allows you to physically tap your body so it gives you something to focus on.
Use this EFT tapping sheet to tap the right pressure points of your body:
Watch the video below to learn how to do EFT Tapping:
8. The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook
This workbook is one of the best for anxiety. It has many different sections you can work on depending on what you’re struggling with.
There’s a lot of helpful information in this workbook and it’s definitely essential to have in your mental health crisis kit.
Try out this workbook for when you want to figure out what your anxiety triggers are. And to teach you more about yourself.
9. Weighted Blanket
Have you seen these weighted blankets? They can help with anxiety.
10. Have Your Therapist On Speed Dial
Did you know that with the BetterHelp app, you can talk to or text a counselor at any time? Someone is standing by to help you right now. There is no shame in asking for help, in fact, it’s what we all should do more often! Try BetterHelp for free right here.
Are you looking to take your mental wellness to the next level?
My Ultimate Mental Wellness Bundle has an entire course on how to stop feeling overwhelmed and improve your mindset!
by The Lovely Refinement Team | Apr 10, 2019 | Dealing With Emotions, Happiness Tips, Self-Confidence, Self-Esteem & Self-Love, Self-Improvement
These are my favorite TED Talks for your mental health. Watching these TED Talks is a great way to expand your knowledge of your own mental health.
I love watching the speakers talk about their own experiences that relate to struggling with mental health. It kicks the stigma to the curb about hiding how you feel and pretending to feel okay when you really don’t.
What I love about all of the TED Talks below is how the speakers talk about their own experiences with their mental health struggles. They are proof that you are not alone.
10 Best Ted Talks For Your Mental Health
Here are some great TED Talks for Your Mental Health anytime you need a reminder that you’re not alone.
1. The Power of Vulnerability by Brene Brown
Brene Brown is one of my favorite authors and speakers, and this Ted Talk has been viewed over 40 million times across the internet.
She talks about shame, guilt, and vulnerability in a way that makes you want to embrace all of them. And she’s not afraid to laugh at herself, which is one of the reasons why I love her. She’s real and knows what she’s talking about.
Check out this list of amazing inspirational Brene Brown quotes, too.
2. How to Start a Conversation on Suicide: Jeremy Forbes
This Ted Talk hits the uncomfortable things we don’t always want to talk about. Like suicide. And Jeremy Forbes breaks it down by using his own experience.
He opens up on how we can start a conversation on suicide, which helps bridge this gap we have with mental health.
The mental health stigma is where we don’t want to accept that tragic things happen because we don’t discuss mental health enough.
3. Don’t Suffer From Your Depression in Silence by Nikki Webber
I like this Ted Talk because it’s a quick watch, which is great for someone struggling with depression. Even if you don’t have a lot of energy or motivation right now, you can give this a quick watch.
So you can feel better about your own journey with depression. Nikki Weber gives a relatable speech on how to stop suffering from depression in silence, from denying her depression to being able to open up to people about it.
And now she gives speeches on depression, and explains how you can’t just “shake it off”.
4. There’s No Shame in Taking Care of Your Mental Health: Sangu Delle
Sangu Delle talks about how he felt like he should be strong and deal with his problems instead of admitting he struggled with mental health.
It’s no surprise that by repressing his emotions, his mental health ended up getting worse.
And he discusses what we went through during this process, and how he made it through to the other side.
5. What is Depression? Helen M. Farrell
Helen M. Farrell accurately describes what depression is like, and this is a good video to show someone who might not fully understand what you’re going through.
The video also discusses what causes depression, which could be nothing at all. And what you need to do to get the proper help so you can feel better again.
6. How to Stay Calm When You Know You’ll be Stressed: Daniel Levitin
If you’ve been feeling particularly stressed lately, check this Ted Talk out.
Daniel Levitin talks about a story when he was super stressed out, and leads into how this affects other parts of your life.
I like this video because it teaches you how to stay calm when you’re stressed, and it’s also proof that bad things happen to everyone.
No one is perfect and you will hit bumps in the road sometimes, but you can learn how to control your stress levels.
7. The Bridge Between Suicide & Life: Kevin Briggs
Another captivating Ted Talk on suicide.
I don’t recommend this video for someone really struggling right now, instead, you should call the Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-8255.
But for people who are interested in learning more about your mental health, Kevin Briggs talks about suicide and how it affects so many other people.
This is one of my favorite TED talks because of how he explains it so well and isn’t afraid to talk about the difficult things that we need to be talking about.
8. The Voices in my Head: Eleanor Longden
Eleanor Longden talks about how things on the outside don’t exactly represent what’s going on on the inside.
If you ever feel afraid to tell people about your mental health, definitely give this video a watch.
So often we feel like we’re going crazy if our minds are out of control. And yet, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
And as she will tell you, when you try to hide what’s going on, things get worse. Once you learn to embrace what you’re going through, you can then start to heal.
9. A Tale of Mental Illness, From the Inside: Elyn Saks
Elyn Saks goes into detail about her experience with mental illness.
This Ted Talk provides a deeper look into how mental illness can prevent us from functioning properly in everyday life.
Even when she thought there was no hope left, she found hope and persevered.
10. A Simple Way to Break Bad Habits: Judson Brewer
We all develop bad habits in our lives, from eating too much sugar to sitting on the couch instead of going for a run.
This Ted Talk explains how to break out of those bad habits and improve your life.
by The Lovely Refinement Team | Apr 10, 2019 | Dealing With Emotions, Happiness Tips, Self-Confidence, Self-Esteem & Self-Love, Self-Improvement
Learn Why Mental Health is Just As Important as Physical Health!
I’m sure ever since you were a child you’ve learned how important physical health is. It’s why they have PE and recess in elementary school.
And in high school, people who played football or soccer were praised by their peers.
Physical health is society’s proof of how healthy you are. Because if you’re overweight and have high blood pressure, you’re at risk for a number of health issues.
But, if you have depression this can go unnoticed for years. If you’re OCD, this is often seen as a quirk to your personality.
Since we cannot physically see mental health, we do not take it as seriously.
Even though mental health affects every single one of us, and suicide is a leading cause of death. Just like having a heart attack.
Needless to say, mental health is just as important as your physical health.
And it’s time to start treating them equally so you can have a healthy body and mind.
Your mental health affects your physical health
If you’re depressed and unwilling to get out of bed, you definitely don’t have the motivation to go to the gym for a workout.
And you most likely don’t care too much about how healthy you’re eating.
This is one of the main reasons why taking care of your mental health is so important. It affects every other thing around you.
And if you don’t know how to manage your mental health this can cause a string of negative effects.
Being in good mental health improves your quality of life
When you know how to handle tough situations, can talk to a therapist about your struggles, and don’t view mental health as a waste of time, you will live a fuller life.
Because you know just how important your mental health is to your overall well-being. Stress, anxiety, and depression are serious things.
They keep you from doing things that you normally love doing. And once you learn how to manage these things you become more resilient to what life throws at you. Lowering your stress levels and bringing you to a much calmer state of mind.
Knowing the importance of mental health can help save someone else’s life
When you take mental health seriously, you know what to look out for in other people. If you have a friend who is struggling, you could save their life.
By listening and being there for them, instead of ignoring the symptoms out of fear or denial.
When we all learn how to take the stigma out of mental health we learn how to be better support systems to the people around us.
You become more understanding and it can help the people around you in more ways than you know.
Improving your mental health improves your self-love
When you decide to make your mental health a priority, you are practicing self-love. You are choosing to put yourself first and take care of yourself.
So many people struggle to love and fully accept themselves because a lot of us aren’t taught how to as we grow up.
And society doesn’t really support you loving yourself. It’s often seen as selfish and unnecessary.
But as you practice improving your mental health you will see that self-love is just one of the many benefits that comes with it.
Working on your mental health makes you stronger from the inside out
I think it’s beneficial to have a strong body and mind. When you have both, you can conquer the world. If you only have one, it’s difficult to live a healthy life that you’re proud of.
You can have a super and healthy body while still having a negative mindset. And that becomes self-destructive after a while.
As you work on building body strength, make sure to set aside time for your mind, too. Exercising is a great way to improve your mental health but you’ll want to do other things too, like:
- Practicing mindfulness
- Talking to a therapist
- Writing your thoughts in a journal
- Unplugging from social media
- Eating right
- Avoiding alcohol/drugs
- Listening to upbeat music
- Taking time for yourself
Just as you set aside an hour each day to work out, make time for these things, too.
Working out and eating healthy isn’t always enough
Because looking your best and eating healthy is seen as such a great thing in society, it can easily turn into something destructive.
Eating disorders are formed due to trying to look your absolute best. If you work out obsessively and always track what you eat, this is actually a sign of a mental health disorder.
And it’s just another form of proof that being physically healthy isn’t always the healthiest thing.
Moving Forward
Taking care of your mental health is so important. I will say this until I sound like a broken record.
I care about this so much because it matters. I’ve struggled before with my mental health because of not knowing these things.
I used to starve myself just so I looked good in skinny jeans. And I would ignore all of my thoughts and feelings, going for a run instead.
I ignored all of it until I couldn’t any longer and I became severely depressed. I was resentful towards everyone in my life who taught me that what you look like is more important than how you feel.
So now, I want to tell you that this just isn’t true. Your mental well-being is the most important, because once you learn how to take care of your mentality then you will want to work out.
You will feel motivated to take care of yourself because you learned how to love yourself and accept who you are.
by The Lovely Refinement Team | Apr 10, 2019 | Dealing With Emotions, Finding Motivation, Happiness Tips, Self-Confidence, Self-Esteem & Self-Love, Self-Improvement
Here’s a list of 50 Things to Do When You’re Feeling Down!
When you’re not feeling your best mentally, it can put a cloud over your whole day.
I’ve found that writing out lists really helps to activate different parts of your brain, and it takes your mind off what you’re struggling with.
Grab a journal and a pen and let your mind go. This can help inspire you once you see that you can think about positive things, even when you’re feeling down.
Choose which items below sound the most interesting and start writing!
- List all the things you’d do if you weren’t so afraid
- List the places you go in your mind when you want peace and quiet
- What the perfect day looks like to you
- All the reasons why you’re amazing
- What always makes you laugh
- All the qualities in yourself you like the most
- All the people who love you for who you are
- Things you’d get rid of to make the world better
- The best gifts you’ve ever been given
- The things you can’t live without
- All the ways you’ve changed for the better
- The things you must do before you die
- The moments in your life that taught you the biggest life lessons
- The biggest turning points in your life
- All the ways you sabotage yourself from having a great life
- How you’d like to change your life for the better
- The major losses you’ve survived in your life
- All of your favorite movies
- All the songs you know by heart
- Your favorite life quotes that inspire you
- The nicest thing anyone’s ever done for you
- The people you’d like to weed out of your life
- What values you need in your life to have a fulfilling life
- The things you will not tolerate no matter what
- The times you said yes when you wish you’d said no
- Any miracles you’ve seen happen
- The times that remind you of your connection to the “Big Picture”
- The most important turning points in your life
- All the things you can do with your eyes closed
- All the foods you’d eat if calories didn’t exist
- Your favorite parts about your body
- Your favorite ways to exercise
- The teachers that have changed your life
- The best stuff your parents taught you about life
- Suddenly you can recreate your childhood – list what you would change to improve your present life
- Your favorite animals
- What you would do right now to improve your mood, with zero limits
- All the things you still want to learn
- The traits you love in other people
- The things you always worry about and what you would do if they didn’t worry you anymore
- What you would do with 10 million dollars
- The top 10 places you want to travel to
- All the foods you’d love to always have in your fridge
- The books you want to read
- Your favorite scenes from TV/movies
- The things you would tell your younger self
- All the things included in your 5-year plan
- Everything you need to get done this week
- The times you’ve put your mind to something and succeeded
- Everything you’re grateful for in your life
Related: The Ultimate Mental Wellness Bundle
by The Lovely Refinement Team | Apr 7, 2019 | Dealing With Emotions, Finding Motivation, Happiness Tips, Self-Confidence, Self-Esteem & Self-Love, Self-Improvement
Most days you’re stuck in a daily routine that is slowly becoming very dull? And waking up to a new day doesn’t feel exciting, because it just means starting the cycle all over again.
It feels like a trap. You have to get up and get to work to pay the bills.
And the constant stress of trying to keep it all together is wearing on you.
If it feels like your life has come to a halt, and you aren’t sure if it’s ever going to get any better, you’ve come to the right place!
The truth is, you don’t have to live on a hamster wheel for the rest of your life.
There are things you can do every day to improve your life. And I’m not talking about things you think you “should” be doing, like being more successful or making more money.
I’m talking about the things you enjoy. Whether that’s reading a book, sitting out in the sun, or playing with puppies.
Doing more of the things that fill up your cup will drastically improve your life.
1. Write down everything you’ve ever wanted to do
Think about the things you’ve always wanted to try in your life.
Write those down, and then write down why they haven’t happened yet.
What is holding you back from trying these things today? Tomorrow? Is it fear, or a legit reason like lack of money?
It all starts with your own mindset on how you view your life.
Maybe you think that you need to stay at a job for a few years to get promoted, and make more money, then you can afford to travel more.
After it’s all out in front of you, think about how you can start doing these things on this list.
Once you determine your reason why, write down how you could actually make it happen this year.
If you want to travel more, you don’t need that much money to start.
Circle the top 3 items on your list, and start focusing on how you can make these things a reality.
This will help you get off the hamster wheel, and pay attention to the things that actually bring you happiness.
2. Spend time finding authenticity
Do you know that one favorite song you keep coming back to?
The song that got you through breakups, shitty jobs, and the song that just gets you?
That’s authenticity.
It’s what makes you feel like you belong.
Or when you spend time with someone who you instantly click with and can spend hours talking to.
Now, let me ask you when was the last time you felt that way?
Does your daily life consist of basically doing things that you don’t fully believe in, but you do anyway because you have to?
Life can start to feel empty when you don’t experience those moments that tug at your heartstrings.
It can actually turn into a dark and gloomy world when you lose sight of what your purpose is.
So, start looking for authentic things that truly lift your spirits.
Where is it that you belong?
Some things that bring authenticity are:
- Friends and/or family
- Finding a new album
- A hobby
- Going back to your favorite place as a kid or anything else you can think of!
3. Practice Gratitude
It’s easier to be negative than it is to be grateful.
And to think “Once I get this, my life will be better”.
Chasing after materialistic things isn’t what will bring you happiness.
But, for some reason our society makes us believe that having a new car or a better job will get us closer to it.
Unfortunately, thinking this way will only leave you feeling confused and empty.
It’s why a lot of people have a mid-life crisis later on in life.
They spent 20 years working so hard for all of these “things”, but never took the time to understand what is real happiness.
The good news is you can start today practicing gratitude.
Look around at your life right now and think about all of the good you have in it.
I understand that life is not easy at times, and sometimes it’s very hard to see the good.
But, even if it’s just the bed you get to sleep in. Or your dog, or your best friend.
Write down all of the good things in your life, and think about these things daily.
Practicing gratitude is free and feeling good about what you have right now won’t make you feel like you have to go out and buy something to feel better.
4. Learn something new every day
Learning can improve your life because it teaches you more about life.
It gives you more confidence and challenges you to push your limits.
Learning something new also brings excitement to your day because you don’t know what to expect.
Some ways you can start learning more are:
- Practicing a new language
- Taking a class at a local community college
- Reading a non-fiction book about history
- Starting a new hobby like knitting or drawing
5. Change up your daily routine
Routines are good and bad for the same reason: they are mindless.
They don’t require much thought from your brain, so you can focus on other things while you do them.
Daily habits like waking up at the same time, brushing your teeth, or working out are great, and I would suggest keeping up with those to help improve your health.
But, things like your commute to work can change.
If your whole life has turned into one big routine, you might find it hard to find excitement in the day.
Instead, Google a different route you could take to work. Or, do you live close enough that you could ride your bike?
You have the most control over your day during the hours you’re at home.
Think about how you can change up those times.
Maybe you don’t have to spend an hour cooking every night.
You could get takeout and spend that time working on a new hobby.
Also, changing up your morning and evening routine can be enough to improve your life.
Whenever you find that your days are all becoming too similar, try changing up your routine.
6. Work on getting enough sleep every night
I get it, sleep is usually what goes out the window when you run out of time during the day.
Our lives are crazy busy at times, and it just makes sense to miss out on some sleep here and there.
But, sleep is so important for your health and quality of life.
Not sleeping enough can cause:
- Moodiness
- Depression
- Inability to focus
- Overeating
All of these things can ruin your mood.
If you aren’t getting at least 7 hours of sleep a night, try to work on making this a priority.
It can and will definitely improve your daily mood, which will help improve your overall life!
7. De-Clutter
Look around your home, and find the things that you haven’t touched in the last 2 years.
Clutter can impact your happiness, because it feels like you’re life is a mess.
Work on getting rid of the things that don’t provide much value in your life anymore.
That might be cleaning out your closet, or distancing yourself from toxic people.
Evaluate where your life is at right now, and think about the things you could get rid of that would help improve your life.
8. Practice being more kind
Kindness goes a looong way. For other people, as well as for you.
Helping others can actually make you feel much better about yourself.
Our world is turning into a place where looking at your phone while you walk is more acceptable than looking someone in the eye and smiling at them.
We are becoming anti-social, which is making it difficult to put more good out into the world.
I get that we all have places to be and limited time.
But, that isn’t really an excuse to be rude to other people.
Being kind isn’t a sign of weakness, and if you can practice it every day, you will feel like a much nicer person.
9. Put yourself first
If you do relate to feeling stuck on a hamster wheel, then you aren’t putting yourself first enough.
It’s not a selfish thing to do, so get that thought out of your head!
Putting yourself first is actually one of the best ways you can be there for other people.
Once your cup is full, then you will have the patience and tolerance to be around people who need you most.
If you don’t, then you’re cup will be sucked dry and you’ll feel irritated and impatient with everyone.
This is also a great way to improve your life.
Listening to your body and doing the things you love will make your days a lot more exciting.
It will also give you much more control over how you truly want to live your life.
10. Let go of your excuses
Do you want to try new things, but think of every excuse in the book not to do it?
Coming up with excuses is very easy to do.
And once you get used to making excuses, there won’t be enough reasons to try out something new.
So, start by letting go of all the excuses that are holding you back.
If you want to try something new, like start a business, travel, or buy a house, take all of the excuses out of it.
Come up with a realistic way to make it happen for yourself.
If it’s what you truly want with your heart and soul there should be NO reason why it can’t happen for you.
Even if it feels like the craziest idea in the world, get rid of the thoughts that trick you into believing it will never happen.
Everything is worth trying out, even if it doesn’t end up being what you wanted.
It’s much better to test the waters than to never try in the first place. So just do it!
”
.
